Electrical heater for liquids.



U. WEDGE. ELECTRICAL'HEATER FOR UQUIDS.

APPUCAHON man rsauza. 19M.

Patented $9M, 21, 1915.

Witnessgs I v M Wh w By his Jlttorn g Y i l IFIGE.

ILEY BHZEHJGE, OF ABDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL HEATER FOR LIQUIDS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

Application filed February 28, 1914;. Serial No. 821,877.

Liquids, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to construct an electric heater for beverages, with especial reference to the use of the same for heating a cup of coffee or other beverage which has cooled from-standing. i Features of my invention are means for introducing the heater into and removing it from the cup, means for automatically closing the circuit through the heater when the latter is introduced into the cup and opening said circuit when the heater is removed from the cup, means for" preyenting 1n ury to the table cloth by contactof the heater therewith, means for prevent ng soiling of the tablecloth by drip from the heater af-- ter it has been removed from the cupfand means for shielding the heater and preventing injury to the person by'contact therewith. v v r In the accompanying drawings? igure 1 iso side elevation ofa hcateritor beverages constructed in accordance with my inven-- tion, the parts being shown in the. position which they occupy when the heater 1s removed from the cup; Fig. ii is a. similar view showing the position assumed by the various parts when. the heater has been introduced into the cup; Fig. 23 is a view, partl'yun ole;- iation and partly in transverse section on the line ur a, Fig. l, and Fig. l is a View illustrating a modified en'ibodiuient of my invention.

In the drawing, 1 re 'irescnts a hollow base of anv. suitable. insulating material upon which rests a. dri p cup '2 at each side of inch is a. vertical. standard 3, one of these standards being connected to one pole and the other to the opposite pole of the electrio generator, as shown in Fig.

. Pivotally mounted upon each of the stand ards 3 is an arm 4i whose lower end presents faces at different angles, one or other of these faces being adapted to contact with aspring plate 5 mounted on the standard} so that said spring plate will serve to retain the arm 4.- either in the vertical position shown. in Fig, 1 or in a position'inclined. to the right or left-fromthe vertical, as shown in The upper ends of the arms a converge and have'pivotally mounted between them the electric heater which depends from said pivots and is of such weight as to'normally maintain a-vertical position irrespective of the angular position of the arms.

The heaterjmay becon'structed in any ordinary manner, that which I have shown in the present instance consisting of a tubular shell or casing (3 of material which is a good conductor-of heat but a non-conductor of electricity, this shell or casing having embedded in or otherwise contacting therewith a. coil-7, the opposite ends of the wire constituting said coil terminating 'instuds -8 .on the outside ot-a shell 9 which surrounds the shell 6, andcarries the pivot studs 9 of the heater, said shell 9being composed of material whichds av goodnomconductor both of electricity and heat, and serving to shield the heater and prevent injury to the person by contact therewith. 1

The shell 9 -has slots or other openings formed in it so as to permit the liquid which is being heated to circulate freely through it. The studs 8, when. the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, occupy notched or recessed portions 4 of the arms 4 and are therefore free from contact with said arms.

Thearms 4 are in electrical contact with the standards 3, consequently the upper end of one arm constitutes the terminal of one pole o't' thc generator and the upper end of the other arm constitutes the terminal of the other pole, and when the parts are in the position. shown in Fig. 1 the flow of current through the coil 7 is cut oil. Each arm 4: has, however, on each side of its notch 4 a wing 10, and when the arms are swung in one direction or the other so as to lower the heater into the cup, as shown in Fig. 2, the studs 8 are brought into contact with one or other of these arms 10 and the flow of current though the heating coil 7 is established. the heating of the coil being thus efinto the cup, and at other times being out off so as to prevent waste of current when the heater is not in use.

When the heater is out of operative position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, it occupies a position above the cup 2 which therefore receives the drip from the heater and prevents soiling of the table cloth, and the heater is so mounted that accidental contact of the same withthe table cloth is impossible, hence soiling of the cloth or scorching or burrfing of the same by contact with the heater whenthe latter is not in use are impossible.

an insulating bridge 12 which connects the upper ends of the arms 4 of the swinging member, as shown in Fig. 4, the heater in this case swinging freely between said arms so as to always assume by gr'avity the vertical position desired.

I claim:

1. The combination, in an electric heater for beverages, of the heating element, a swinging support upon which said heating element is pivotally mounted, and a pivotal mounting for said support whereby the heating element, while'maintaining a vertical position, can be swung into and out of a cup containing the beverage to be heated.

2. The combination, in an electric heater for beverages, of the-heating element, a swinging support upon which said heating element is pivotally mounted, a pivotal mounti for said support which permits the hea ng element to bc-swung into or out of the pup containing thebeverage to be heated,.'and means whereby the swinging f movement of the support is caused to open and close the circuit through the heating element.

3. The combination, in an electric heater for beverages, of the heating element, and a supporf'therefor comprising .a base,- a carrying element pivoted at its lower end to said base-and at its upper end to the heating element, whereby said heating element can always maintain a vertical position irrespective ofthe swinging movement ofthe carrier upon its pivot, said carrier being of greaterlength than the heating element,- whereby, when the carrier occupies a vertical position, said heating element will-be supported free from contact with the base.

4. The combination, in. an electric heater for beverages, of a heating element, arms from which said heating element is pivot- ;ally suspended so as to hang vertically, a

base having standards upon which said arms are pivotally mounted, and yielding means for retaining said arms either in the vertical position or in a position inclined in respect to the vertical.

5. The combination, in' an electric heater for beverages, of the heating element, arms upon which said heating element is pivotally mounted so as to hang in a vertical position, a base having standards upon which said arms are pivotally mounted, and a cup seated on said base and serving to receive the drip from the heater when the latter is not in action.

6. The combination, in an electric heater for beverages, of swinging arms, one carrying the terminal of one pole and the other the terminal of the other pole of the electric generator, a heating element pivotally mounted upon said swinging arms, and studs constituting theterminals of said heating element, said studs being normally free from-the terminals of the arms but being brought into contact therewith by the swinging of the arms.

11 testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

UTLEY WEDGE.

Witnesses:

KATE A. BEADLE, HAMILTON D. TURNER. 

